Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Non-timber forest products as a means of livelihood in Mon district, Nagaland, India


Affiliations
1 Department of Botany, Nagaland University, Lumami 798 627, India
 

The Konyaks in Nagaland, India, since time immemorial have been dependent on the forest and its products for their sustenance and economic growth. The use of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Mon district, Nagaland, was studied through surveys and interviews with vegetable vendors in Mon and Aboi town markets, and villagers of Chingkao, Tangnyu, Sheanghah-Lampong, Wakching and Hongphoi. Forest resources and their products have been a source of livelihood providing the local inhabitants with food, medicine, construction materials and other utilitarian items, especially for the economically marginal people residing in and around the forest. This study covers 43 plant species belonging to 26 families that are used by the tribals of Mon district. Family Asteraceae was dominant in yielding forest products followed by Arecaceae and these resources are used with the traditional knowledge passed down from gene­rations. The study shows the diverse NTFPs that fulfill the needs of a thriving Naga tribe.

Keywords

Livelihood, non-timber forest products, traditional knowledge, tribes
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Shackleton, C. and Shackleton, S., The importance of non-timber forest products in rural livelihood security and as safety nets: a review of evidence from South Africa in South. Afr. J. Sci., 2004, 100, 658–664.
  • Marshall, E., Newton, A. C. and Schreckenberg, K., Commercialisation of non timber forest products: first steps in analysing the factors influencing success. Int. For. Rev., 2003, 5(2), 128–137.
  • Sarmah, R., Commonly used non-timber forest products (NTFPs) by the Lisu tribe in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Sibcoltejo, 2010, 5, 68–77.
  • World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development, Our Forests our Future, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1999.
  • World Bank Group, A revised forest strategy for the World Bank Group, World Bank, Washington DC, USA, 2001.
  • FAO, Harvesting of the non-wood forest products. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy, 2003.
  • Mipun, P., Bhat, N. A., Borah, D. and Kumar, Y., Non-timber forest products and their contribution to healthcare and livelihood security among Karbi tribe in Northeast India. Ecol. Process., 2019, 8(41), 1–2.
  • Jamir, N. S., Asemba, L. and Jamir, N., Ethnomedicinal plants used by Konyak Naga tribes of Mon district in Nagaland. Ethnobotany, 2008, 20, 48–53.
  • Pradheep, K., Chiten, S., Pandey, A. and Bhatt, K. C., Wild edible plants used by Konyak tribe in Mon district of Nagaland: survey and inventorisation. Indian J. Nat. Prod. Res., 2016, 7(1), 74–81.
  • District Human Development Report – Mon, Department of Planning and Coordination, Government of Nagaland, 2011, p. 30.
  • Changkija, S., Folk medicinal plants of the Nagas in India. Asian Folklore Stud., 1999, 58, 205–230.
  • Dey, S., Studies of the diversity of flowering plants of Tuensang district, Nagaland. Ph.D. thesis, Nagaland University, 2018.
  • Singh, O. P. and Tiwari, B. K., State level biodiversity strategy and action plan of Nagaland, National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, Project Report, 2002, p. 94.
  • BSI, Red Data Book of Indian Plants, Vols 1–III, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 1987.

Abstract Views: 379

PDF Views: 129




  • Non-timber forest products as a means of livelihood in Mon district, Nagaland, India

Abstract Views: 379  |  PDF Views: 129

Authors

P. Andrew Konyak
Department of Botany, Nagaland University, Lumami 798 627, India
Khikeya Semy
Department of Botany, Nagaland University, Lumami 798 627, India
Neizo Puro
Department of Botany, Nagaland University, Lumami 798 627, India

Abstract


The Konyaks in Nagaland, India, since time immemorial have been dependent on the forest and its products for their sustenance and economic growth. The use of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Mon district, Nagaland, was studied through surveys and interviews with vegetable vendors in Mon and Aboi town markets, and villagers of Chingkao, Tangnyu, Sheanghah-Lampong, Wakching and Hongphoi. Forest resources and their products have been a source of livelihood providing the local inhabitants with food, medicine, construction materials and other utilitarian items, especially for the economically marginal people residing in and around the forest. This study covers 43 plant species belonging to 26 families that are used by the tribals of Mon district. Family Asteraceae was dominant in yielding forest products followed by Arecaceae and these resources are used with the traditional knowledge passed down from gene­rations. The study shows the diverse NTFPs that fulfill the needs of a thriving Naga tribe.

Keywords


Livelihood, non-timber forest products, traditional knowledge, tribes

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv121%2Fi6%2F837-840